NWA continues to lock in their roster as two more women, Ruthie Jay and Taylor Rising, have signed contracts.
The official announcement by NWA reads as follows:
Today the company announces the signing of stars Ruthie Jay and Taylor Rising, cementing the future of the division. Both competitors joined NWA in 2023, becoming championship contenders almost immediately.
“The National Wrestling Alliance is dedicated to providing fans the absolute best female athletes in professional wrestling today,” says Joe Galli, NWA Chief Operating Officer.
“Ruthie Jay and Taylor Rising are two of the hottest young stars in the National Wrestling Alliance today,” Galli continues. “Signing both ensures our women continue to provide some of the hardest-hitting, most exciting action in all the NWA for a long time to come.”
More than once, Ruthie Jay has come close to unseating NWA Women’s World Champion KenziePaige (who also recently signed an exclusive contract). Born in Haiti, “The Five Star Athlete” remains a top challenge for singles championships. Her team with partner La Rosa Negra poses a serious threat to the Women’s World Tag Team Titles as well.
Hailing from Canada, Rising made her NWA debut in the 2023 Burke Invitational Gauntlet. She went on to unsuccessfully challenge for the Women’s TV and World Tag titles. Signing a long-term, exclusive contract ensures an opportunity to continue finding her footing in the NWA.
Both women have already been confirmed for NWA 76. Emanating from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on August 31, the celebration of the National Wrestling Alliance’s 1948 founding, the anniversary spectacular is the NWA’s biggest Signature Live Event of the year.
First segment of the night backstage we have Lola Vice, Karmen Petrovic, and Sol Ruca reviewing Isla Dawn’s match with Stephanie Vaquer from the Mexico’s live events. Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend interrupt, throwing shade about who will be the next contenders for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles, leading to Karmen & Sol vs. Jakara & Lash later tonight.
Carlee Bright vs. Wren Sinclair:
The Family watches from above, intrigued by Wren blackmailing Charlie Dempsey and his crew into joining her at ringside. Wren and Carlee lock up with Wren overpowering Carlee initially. After some back-and-forth diva’s era chain wrestling, Wren hits a leaping facebuster for two. Carlee responds with a second-rope dropkick, but Charlie interferes by putting Wren’s foot on the ropes. Despite Kendall Grey’s interference, Wren rolls up Carlee with Charlie’s help for the three-count.
Kelly Kincaid sits with Thea Hail, discussing last year’s GAB title fight and how she has grown. Thea acknowledges Ridge Holland’s mistakes but emphasizes his integration into Chase U. She is focused on winning the title to inspire girls like her, despite Roxy being a significant hurdle.
This is a side of Thea Hail we haven't seen before.
Kelani Jordan is seen backstage watching a dollhouse video posted by Tatum Paxley which was shown to her by recruit Zena Sterling. Leigh Laurel is the other woman in this segment as she and Sterling help an “injured” Ashante Thee Adonis who smirks at the camera.
Karmen Petrovic & Sol Ruca vs. Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson:
Jakara starts strong against Karmen, but Sol hits a moonsault for a near fall. Sol locks in a sleeper but Jakara counters. Lash tags in and overpowers Sol initially, but Sol counters with a springboard X-Factor. Karmen tags in and gains momentum, but Lash and Jakara’s teamwork gives them the upperhand. Lash hits a backbreaker drop for the pin. Post-match, Lash challenges Alba and Isla to defend their titles next week at the GAB.
Roxy confronts Shawn, upset that Thea got a sit-down interview while she didn’t, expressing frustration over not receiving the recognition she deserves ahead of their title match next week.
The Women’s Tag Team Titles being defended in NXT will be a treat next week! Looking forward to this opportunity for Lash & Jakara, they looked great in the tag match last night so looking forward to seeing what they do with Alba & Isla. Thea vs. Roxanne feels like a foregone conclusion but I’m still looking forward to the match. Perez has been making magic in the ring during this reign and Thea is constantly determined to prove herself which should give us a great bout. Sound off in the comments below and see everyone next week!
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre will be defending their titles next week on NXT during the first night of The Great American Bash. Their opponents will be Meta Four’s Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson.
Talk about challenging for the titles took place on the July 23 episode of NXT. In a backstage segment, Lola Vice, Karmen Petrovic, and Sol Ruca were watching a video of Stephanie Vaquer taking on Isla Dawn at the recent Mexico house shows.
Seeing Dawn in the ring led to a conversation about the tag champions and how they have yet to defend their gold. Legend and Jackson entered and threw their name into the title picture. This booked a match between Petrovic & Ruca vs Legend & Jackson later on in the night.
After a competitive match between the two teams, Legend pinned Petrovic for the win. Post match, Legend and Jackson challenged the champions for next week. Dawn and Fyre accepted the challenge on social media.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will have her own ‘Biography: WWE Legends’ episode airing on August 4. It was previously announced that both Stratus and Becky Lynch were getting their own episodes.
On Stratus’ website it states:
This episode is not just a documentary but a personal journey. It will delve into Trish Stratus’ life and her rise and impact on the industry that led to her being named by WWE, the #1 Greatest Female of All Time. There are new interviews and stories from Trish as well as family, friends, and colleagues, who will share anecdotes and fascinating insights. Plus, Trish opens up for the first time about various topics both in and out of the ring.
Even though Trish’s fans have known her for almost 25 years, this ‘Biography’ promises to give them an even deeper understanding of the woman behind the legend.
? Some of you caught the little Easter egg in my @dish commercial! Excited to finally share that im getting a ‘Biography: WWE Legends’ episode on @AETV! @WWE@WWEonAE
Australian talent, Delta, has reportedly signed with WWE. After months of speculation, more concrete news has been presented.
Fightful Select has learned that following impressing at her WWE tryout in February, Delta was offered a contract by WWE and subsequently quietly signed with the promotion.
— Corey Brennan Of Fightful.com (@CoreyBrennanFF) July 23, 2024
Following a report by Fightful Select:
Delta Brady is on her way to WWE.
On July 20th, Fightful Select’s Corey Brennan reported the latest details on Delta Brady, an Australian women’s pro wrestler who had garnered attention from WWE after attending tryouts back during Elimination Chamber week, with several we had spoken to being of the belief she was on her way to the company following her finishing up her dates in Australia.
Now, Fightful Select’s Corey Brennan has learned from sources close to Delta that following her tryout during WWE’s time in Australia in February, she was offered a contract with the company and would go on to sign with the company, but was allowed to finish off her remaining dates in Australia.
These same sources say that Delta was slated to move to the US this month, but no start date at the WWE Performance Center is known as of this writing, but it is expected she will start in NXT along with Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer once she has settled into living in the US.
Total Divas was a phenomenon for its time and revolutionized the women of WWE even before the women’s evolution started!
The hit show started in 2013 with a core cast of seven women – five professional wrestlers (Naomi, Cameron, Nikki & Brie Bella, Natalya) and two newcomers – JoJo and Eva Marie. The show mixed perfectly the level of drama that fans thirsted for and the elements of wrestling we all love. It even introduced a whole new fan base to WWE.
Over its nine seasons and 120 episodes, a total of 20 women were listed as main cast stars. Now we want you our readers to vote on who was the best cast member of the show! Please note that we have only included those who were listed as a main cast member, even if it was one season. So any guest stars, sorry Tamina and Liv Morgan, will not be included.
You will be able to vote up to 5 names! The results will be up Thursday of this week.
Hey everyone! We’re back with another edition of Monday Night Raw, and we’re less than two weeks away from SummerSlam!
Rhea Ripley steps right back into her leadership role with Judgment Day as she gives them a pep talk backstage, but Dominik Mysterio is confused about why she said “yeet” to Jey Uso. Ripley brushes it off as just playing around.
Lyra Valkyria vs. Sonya Deville
Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Shayna Baszler, and Zoey Stark were out to support their respective allies. Deville took it to Valkyria early on, but Valkyria fires back. After some assistance from Shayna, Valkyria appears to hurt her ribs after a dive onto the outside as the match goes to a break. Valkyria striking up a storm and get’s a near fall with a bridging suplex. A gutwrench powerbomb earned another near fall before chaos erupted with everyone brawling on the floor. The distraction allowed Deville to hit the Deville’s Advocate for the pin
Winner: Sonya Deville
This week’s Wyatt Sicks Promo features some more context to Nikki Cross’ involvement with the group
Rhea Ripley, accompanied by Dominik Mysterio, heads to ringside as the crowd cheers. Ripley, who will face Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship at SummerSlam, challenges Morgan to come get Dominik if she wants him.
Liv Morgan, the Women’s World Champion, enters from the back of the arena wearing a “Daddy Dom” shirt and short jean shorts. She taunts Ripley, saying she can wait until SummerSlam because she has self-control. Morgan claims both she and Dominik have feelings for each other and asserts that attractive men like Dominik prefer women like her, not Ripley. She turns to show off, provoking Rhea to try to leave the ring, but Dominik holds her back. Morgan urges Dominik to speak, saying she feels the same way and asks him to say three little words.
Dominik responds, “I hate you,” and accuses Morgan of ruining his life repeatedly, expressing his disdain for her. Liv appears to be crying as the split screen shows her reaction. Dominik continues, blaming Morgan for all his troubles. Ripley then pulls back Dominik’s hair, whispers in his ear, and licks the side of his face, finishing with a kiss on the cheek, clearly pleased with what she heard.
Zelina Vega, with her arm taped up, get’s a pre-match interview declaring she’s tired of being underestimated and is ready to shut people up.
Zelina Vega vs. Zoey Stark
Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler accompany Zoey Stark. Vega starts with a strong babyface flurry, but Stark quickly targets Vega’s injured arm. A spinning elbow gives Vega brief respite, but Stark snaps her bad arm over the rope. After a commercial break, Stark lands a springboard missile dropkick for a near fall. Vega breaks out of an armbar and hits an enziguri into a DDT. A moonsault gets Vega a two-count, but Baszler trips her. Lyra Valkyria, Katana Chance, and Kayden Carter rush in to brawl. Vega then hits the Code Red (after a cast shot) on Stark for the pin.
Winner: Zelina Vega
The Women’s Tag Team Champs were interviewed backstage about their upcoming face-to-face with Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair this Friday. They were interrupted by Deville, Baszler, and Stark. The newly formed trio claimed to be running through the division on Raw but the champs did point out how Zoey just lost to Zelina.
Isla Dawn & Alba Fyra address Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill ahead of SmackDown this week, then get interrupted by Sonya, Zoey & Shayna.#WWERawpic.twitter.com/XkCt6MTpwa
Raw had some good content and further along each of the respective stories going into SummerSlam. The Liv/Rhea stuff continues to be a highlight, personally I didn’t believe Liv’s crocodile tears but maybe that’s because I’d like it if Morgan was the mastermind behind Judgement Day’s eventual implosion. Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section!
Hail is set to challenge Perez for the championship at the upcoming The Great American Bash special. For a look at what went down last week you can watch below.
Also confirmed for Tuesday is Wren Sinclair vs. Carlee Bright. Sinclair is trying to impress No Quarter Catch Crew so she can join.
On the July 20 episode of AEW Collision, Skye Blue took on Hikaru Shida. The match had to be stopped by the referee as Blue went down on the outside due to her ankle. Shida was declared the winner.
Tony Khan did say that it is an ankle injury and that Skye is home resting. Skye’s boyfriend and AEW/ROH star Kyle Fletcher posted the following photo of Skye below.
There is no word on her return time at the moment of this writing.
we got her home everyone, doctor Kyle on the clock
A report is making its rounds from PWN that Tamina has been removed from WWE’s internal roster. What this means is that she is currently still listed on WWE.com as an active member but she is no longer listed as one for WWE themselves. In addition, they report MVP and Bobby Lashley have been removed as well.
Bobby Lashley, Tamina, and MVP have been removed from the internal WWE roster #PWN
Tamina’s last match was in February 2023 on Main Event in a loss against Michin. She also was not involved in the last WWE Draft. Tamina has been with WWE since 2010 making her the second longest woman on the roster, behind Natalya. She made her debut alongside The Usos as a heel stable to attack The Hart Dynasty (Natalya, Tyson Kids, and David Hart Smith).
Tamina is a former multi-time 24/7 Champion and a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion with Natalya. She participated in many firsts including the first women’s Royal Rumble and first women’s Money in the Bank.
There’s no word at this time if she will continue to work with the company behind the scenes.
Grace defeats Ash by Elegance at Slammiversary on Saturday. The Juggernaut Driver did it once again to put Ash away and continue Grace’s dominance. Grace has held the gold since January when she took the belt from Trinity.
During the match, Rosemary chases off Ash’a personal concierge with a knife.
Jordynne Grace & Eric Young vs. Hammerstone & Ash By Elegance is set for TNA iMPACT July 25.
Also at Slammiversary Malisha retains the Knockouts World Tag Titles against Spitfire. The Malisha executed a doomsday bulldog on Jody Threat for victory.
Tasha Steelz was victorious in a Four Way. Shw defeated Faby Apache, Gisele Shaw, and Xia Brookside. Shaw delivered a running knee to Brookside, but Steelz shoved Shaw aside to steal the pin.
Deonna Purrazzo continues her domination over Thunder Rosa in their long rivalry. The Virtuosa won a Lumberjack match on the July 20 episode of Collision which was Rosa’s idea for this match type in her hone state of Texas.
The lumberjacks were very busy during this match, with them taking shots at both opponents and each other. On two different occasions the competitors took out the whole field outside of the ring. Some of the lumberjacks included Red Velvet, Queen Aminata, Billie Starkz, Taya Valkyrie, Diamante, Leyla Hirsch, Rachael Ellering, Abadon, Lady Frost, Robyn Renegade, Marina Shafir, and more.
The last moments of the match had Valkyrie hand a turnbuckle to Purrazzo who used it to strike Rosa and get the pin for the win. After the match Valkyrie celebrated with Purrazzo.
Also on Collision, Hikaru Shida defeated Skye Blue due to referee stoppage. Later in the show, Shida was approached by Lexy Nair. Shida says that she came to fight and she intends on fighting. She wants Britt Baker and the two former rivals will battle this Wednesday or Dynamite. Shida doesn’t like that she has just returned and wants a shot at the TBS Title.
Former #AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida has a message for another former champion and issues a challenge for this Wednesday on #AEWDynamite!
Dr Britt Baker DMD returns to the ring in her first match in 2024 vs the first woman in AEW to ever draw her blood Hikaru Shida at #AEWBloodAndGuts THIS WEDNESDAY! pic.twitter.com/xuwArcop52
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill may be one of the hottest tag teams in WWE, but outside the ring they are going to go against each other on Hot Ones Versus. Hot Ones has been a YouTube sensation since 2015.
The caption reads – The premise: tell the truth, or suffer the wrath of the Last Dab, and whoever eats the most wings, loses. Who do you think will come out on top? ? Tune in on Monday @ 1PM ET.
On the July 20 episode of AEW Collision, the match between Skye Blue and Hikaru Shida awkwardly ended coming back from a commercial break. As commentary put together what had happened, Shida was declared the winner by referee stoppage.
The moment actually occurred before the commercial break when Shida hit a crossbody off the apron on Blue who was on the outside. Blue appeared to have landed to the ground wrong.
If anything further comes from this, Diva Dirt will update. We send our best wishes to Skye.
ROH’s Death Before Dishonor takes place on Friday July 26. It has already been that both women’s titles will be defended, but now we have a Texas Death Match added.
After Thursday's brutal Lights Out fight made the tally 1-1, the score between Diamanté/Leyla Hirsch will be settled at ROH Death Before Dishonor in a TEXAS DEATH MATCH pic.twitter.com/wm4ONwnHTL
To break the tie between Leyla Hirsch and Diamante, they will have this match at the pay-per-view. The fought in the main event of ROH’s weekly show on July 18 in a Lights Out Match. That was won by Diamante putting their rivalry in a 1-1 tie.
For those who may not be familiar with a Texas Death Match, it is similar to the Last Man Standing Match, the only difference being that you must be pinned, then a 10-count is initiated. If the person pinned fails to get up by the count of 10, the participant loses the match.
On the July 19 episode of AEW Rampage, it was announced that we will be seeing the debut of “The Glamour” Mariah May this Wednesday on Dynamite.
May has been cosplaying as rocker Toni Storm basically since she joined AEW. Now that she has brutally attacked her mentor and will be seeing her at All In for the AEW Women’s World Title, it is time for May to step out as herself.
For those who want to check out Collision on July 20, the following matches were previously announced:
#AEWDynamite THIS WEDNESDAY!@brdgstonearena | Nashville, TN LIVE 8/7c | TBS 'The Glamour' Mariah May debuts! After shocking the world at the conclusion of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals, witness the debut of ‘The Glamour’ @MariahMayx THIS WEDNESDAY on #AEWDynamite! pic.twitter.com/CEvvNuWJ6f
Due to WWE being in Japan next week for a live tour, the company taped July 26’s episode of SmackDown on July 19. Below you will find the result of the match on the card (courtesy of the Wrestling Observer).
Queen of the Ring Nia Jax & Money in the Bank winner Tiffany Stratton defeated WWE Women’s Champion Bayley & Michin
Nia Jax and WWE Women’s Champion Bayley are ready to conduct a side-by-side interview with Corey Graves moderating the discussion. Nia demands to be referred to as Queen Nia, and says that she’s starting to feel sorry for Bayley, because at SummerSlam, she’s going to beat her and take her title, comparing her to an “old, sick dog”. By becoming champion, Jax believes she will be put out of her own misery.
The champ retorts, stating that she hasn’t changed at all in the time that they’ve known each other; according to Bayley, Jax is the same heartless woman with the same big mouth that walks around like she owns the place. Bayley also once again cites the injury she sustained at Jax’s hands in 2017 in the lead up to that year’s SummerSlam, not because of her viciousness, but because she was big, clumsy, and reckless. She wants Jax to know that she will be walking in and walking out of The Biggest Party of the Summer as the WWE Women’s Champion. The now flustered Queen of the Ring walks off.
In a segment that took place before the show went live, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill could be seen walking backstage, quickly being confronted by Piper Niven and Chelsea Green. Niven and Green want to speak to Nick Aldis outside of his office to complain about the former Women’s Tag Team Champions, while Belair and Cargill want a rematch for the tag team titles. The two teams get into an argument, which leads to Bianca challenging Chelsea to a match. The two then made their entrances immediately following the segment.
The two start with slaps to the face but Bianca gains ground quickly. Chelsea tries her best to reverse the EST’s arsenal, attempting to roll her up quickly, but Bianca turns it into a pin of her own for a fast win.
The voice of Isla Dawn then interrupts Belair’s victory as her and fellow Women’s Tag Team Champion Alba Fyre appear on the screen. The Unholy Union are aware that the two women have been looking for them, and love how passionate they are about the titles. As Fyre explains how they have all the power as champions, Dawn decides to give them a “tiny glimpse” of said power next week. As for a rematch? “We’ll see”, followed by Dawn’s signature witchy laugh.
After a vignette featuring Tiffany Stratton, the newly-crowned Miss Money in the Bank came out with Queen Nia in tow as she was set to take on Michin. Just as the match started, the Buff Barbie called for a time out at ringside and attempted to make a run for it as Michin chased after her, with Michin being stopped by the presence of Jax before a commercial break.
Michin continued to be dominated by Stratton as the show returned, but would soon gain some momentum despite being noticeably exhausted and in pain, with commentary mentioning that she was competing in the match with a hurt back. As Stratton was ready to hit a moonsault, she was taken aback by the presence of Bayley, who fended off Jax and hit her with Tiffany’s Money in the Bank briefcase, before kicking the briefcase open; a distraught Stratton wound up getting pinned by Michin via a roll-up.
Here’s what scheduled for next week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown:
Bayley and Michin vs. Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton
Please note that next week’s edition will be a taped episode as WWE will be touring Japan next week. As of this writing, next week’s episode is currently in the process of being recorded.
Share your comments on the latest blue brand happenings below!
NWA continues to secure their roster and this includes locking in their current NWA World Women’s Champion Kenzie Paige.
Paige has done work with NWA since 2021 and has the top women’s title for 325 plus days. She dethroned Kamille who held the belt for an incredible 812 days. Paige has also held the tag titles twice and was the inaugural NWA World Women’s TV Champion.
She is among the list of talent who have signed deals with the promotion recently. Others include the current tag champs the King Bees, the current double TV Champion Max the Impaler, Tiffany Nieves, and Natalia Markova.
